Egypt to open Rafah border crossing for Palestinians

GAZA: Egypt is determined to break the Gaza Strip's isolation by opening Rafah border crossing.

Egyptian authorities said that Rafah crossing, the only gate for Gaza's Palestinians, will be opened normally and regularly. Palestinians with passports would be allowed to cross into Egypt every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. except for Fridays and holidays.

Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 when the Hamas movement took over the coastal enclave by force. Egypt then cooperated with Israel by keeping Rafah crossing closed most of the time.

In the second half of 2010, the Egyptian authorities opened Rafah crossing but with restrictions mostly applied to humanitarian cases.